Unexpected Effect
by Betty BOKOR
Summary: SamDaniel. The ripple effect brings a few more consequences than first thought. Daniel confesses a secret and Sam makes a discovery.
1. Chapter 1

**Unexpected Effect **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. The ripple effect brought a few more consequences than first thought.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Unexpected Effect**

**Chapter 1**

"Hey, Teal'c," Sam said as she stood in line at the cafeteria right behind her teammate.

"I believed you had left the base already," Teal'c said with surprise.

"Yeah, I know. I should have gone, but I wanted to finish my report before I left. I intend to enjoy our three days of stand-down without worrying about unfinished paperwork here. I also wanted to make sure that nobody came back. I hope the 'ripple effect' is finished."

"As do I."

They both walked toward a table at the end of the deserted room and sat down together.

"Did you get a chance to talk to any of the other Teal'cs?"

"Indeed."

"Wasn't it weird? I mean, it was very interesting to work with all the other Sams, but it was odd anyway."

"You had already been through that experience earlier."

"Yeah, that's true, but one 'other' you is not as strange as having more than a dozen. And I didn't get a chance to 'chat' with them. We were all concentrating in finding a solution to the problem." She sighed. "Did you find out anything interesting from your alternate guys?"

"I failed to see the point of engaging in conversation with myself." Sam couldn't avoid a smile at the seriousness of Teal'c's comment. "But DanielJackson told me that in the world of the first SG-1 that came through the gate, the Jaffa nation had been finally united under Bra'tac's leadership. I have been trying to convince him to accept such role among our brothers. He is one of the few jaffa who have always followed their principles. I probably would have never joined O'Neill if it had not been for the seed of rebellion against the Goa'uld that Bra'tac had planted in me during my training years."

"I've heard you talk about those times. I agree with you. I know I'm not as acquainted with him as you are, but I've been with him both during peace time and in battle, and I'd be honored to be under his leadership in either case."

"He would be a great leader for our people."

"Well, I hope he accepts and that the other jaffa agree with you about it."

"I will work for it as much as I work to unite our nation. Once we are one, we will be in a better position to help you face the Ori."

"You're right, Teal'c." Sam finished the sandwich she had been eating without too much enthusiasm and grabbed a spoon to start her dessert. She sighed again and ate a spoonful of jello.

"Is there anything bothering you, SamanthaCarter?"

"Not really. It's just that I would have liked to have a little more time with the last team that left."

"The one with Dr. Fraiser and Martouf."

"Yes. That one. I had a nice talk with Martouf. It brought up a lot of old feelings."

"Feelings for Martouf?"

"Yeah. You know, I've never been able to sort through that. I still don't know how much of those feelings are mine and how much belong to Jolinar. You see, I learned to accept my father with a Tok'ra inside, but the fact that he had someone else in him didn't actually affect me. He was still my dad and, as a matter of fact, having to share his body with Selmac softened his character in a positive way. He would have never reconciled with my brother without Selmac's influence."

"I see. But you don't feel the same way about Martouf and Lantash."

"No, I don't. I enjoyed being with Martouf, but I couldn't forget that Lantash was there. I tried to think of him as another person, but I always ended up remembering that he was a Goa'uld, a good one, but the same thing anyway."

"Nonetheless, you had feelings for both of them."

"Yes, and that's the problem. I'm pretty certain that the feelings for Lantash were all Jolinar's." She sighed one more time. "In any case, it doesn't really matter. They're both dead, and as Martouf said, it didn't even work in his reality."

"He told you as much?"

"Yeah. He said he left the Tok'ra and joined the Stargate Program to be near me. We even lived together for quite some time, but we ended up apart. He said I was with someone else now and Janet said I was on maternity leave." She sighed one more time.

"Have you considered the possibility of having your own children, Samantha?"

Sam was surprised by the appellative, but understood that these were personal matters and that Teal'c was asking as her friend. "I've been thinking a lot more about it lately. Since Pete, I mean. I decided he was not the right man, but I still wanted what he was offering."

"I see. Do you know who the right man is?"

"I thought I did for a while, but I'm lost now. I have no idea. I wish Janet or Martouf would have told me who it was in their reality. It looks like I got it right." Teal'c did not reply and Sam saw something in his expression that made her realize he knew. "You know! You know, Teal'c! Please, tell me, tell me who it is."

"Are you certain you wish me to tell you and that you do not want to try and find out who the right man is on your own?"

"Oh, please, Teal'c, I'm not going to run over to him and ask him to marry me."

"As you wish. In that reality you were DanielJackson's wife."

Sam almost spit out the piece of jello she had just ingested. "Daniel?" she said with a grin.

"You find it amusing, SamanthaCarter?"

The seriousness of Teal'c's tone sobered her up. "No, no, just unexpected. I guess that's why Janet looked at _her _Daniel before telling me about the maternity leave. For a while there I thought _they_ had something going on."

"Did you expect it to be someone else?" Teal'c asked.

"No… Kind of. Maybe. I don't know. It took me by surprise."

"Were you thinking of General O'Neill?"

Sam stopped eating, put her spoon down and looked at her teammate. "Why would I think of him?"

"It would be a logical assumption."

"I don't think so."

"So, you did not think of him."

Sam hesitated and then relented. She almost whispered her next words. "Okay, I did. I thought it could have been him. It's happened before, you remember. I never thought of Daniel. I had other candidates in mind besides the general, but it never occurred to me it could be Daniel."

"I see. I believe you should refrain from informing DanielJackson of your assumptions."

"Why? He would not be offended. He would think it's funny." Sam went back to eating her dessert. Teal'c's look expressed clearly that he disagreed, but he said no more. He soon excused himself and left Sam alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Unexpected Effect **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. The ripple effect brought a few more consequences than first thought.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Unexpected Effect**

**Chapter 2**

Sam finished her food and went back to work in her lab. When she finally finished all the reports it was almost midnight. She felt extremely tired, but she was satisfied that now she could enjoy three full days without worrying about her job. On her way out of the base, she decided to go by Daniel's office. If anyone were left in base at that time, it surely would be him. She was right. She could see light coming from his office when she turned into the hallway.

"Hey, Daniel," she said cheerfully.

"Hey, Sam," he answered happily, after he got over being startled.

"What are you doing at this time of the night?"

"I could ask you the same," he smiled. "I just wanted to leave this room in order before the stand-down."

"Yeah, I finished all my reports." She sat in front of his desk while he walked around, putting books on the shelves. "Hey, Teal'c told me something funny."

"Yeah? What was it?" he asked in a jovial tone.

"He said that in Janet's team's reality, **_you and I_** were married," she said with amusement.

Daniel stopped with a book in midair. He lowered his head slightly and seemed to need to collect himself. He finally said, "Yeah. That would be funny, wouldn't it?" and put the book on the shelf with a little more force than necessary.

Sam didn't miss the sarcasm in his tone. "You don't think it's funny?" she asked surprised.

"Sure, why wouldn't I," he said in the same tone, still without looking at her.

Sam stood up and walked toward him. "Hey, I didn't offend you, did I?"

"Nope," he simply said turning around to pick up more books from the floor and getting away from her.

"Daniel, look at me."

He kept working without turning to her. "I'm listening."

"Did you find out anything else about that reality? Do you know something I don't? There's something bugging you-"

"No, Sam," he stopped his work again. He finally turned to her and said, "While you were trying to save the world and send everybody home, I was conducting my own social inquest. Sort of a census."

"A census?'

"Yes. I asked about the personal lives of all the SG-1 members that were on base and about some other people in their lives."

"And what did you find out?"

"I made a chart. It's on my desk."

Sam walked back to his desk and looked at the paper on top. It had a grid and multiple characters, but she couldn't read exactly what it said. "It has many symbols," she stated.

"Yes. Each symbol represents a person and then there are symbols for events in their lives," he explained.

"What kind of events?"

"If they were alive, dead, married, single, and many other facts."

"This one is in every column," she said pointing at one character.

"That's Mitchell. He was on every team."

"Is this me?"

"Yes."

"This is you and this one is Teal'c," she added, still looking at the chart.

"Yes."

"So I came with fourteen of the teams." Daniel nodded. "That's right. I had fourteen Sams in my lab, besides me." She followed the line with her symbol and saw more characters. "What do these mean?"

"They explain data about your life."

"Tell me," she said with a smile and passed him the paper.

"Maybe you won't like everything you see. Or it would be too funny."

"Oh, come on, Daniel. Tell me."

"All right. I've got data from sixteen different Sams."

"But you said there were only fourteen of me."

"The others told me about you, like Martouf and Janet."

"Oh, right."

"What do you want to know about them?"

"Let's start with the marriage thing. I'm curious-"

"You were single in ten alternate universes," Daniel interrupted and sat down in front of her. She sat down, too. "You were married in five and divorced in one."

"Divorced? Who was the guy I divorced?"

Daniel hesitated. "Jack," he said very coldly.

"General O'Neill?" She seemed surprised and was quiet for a moment. Then she asked, "Where were you in that reality?"

"If you're thinking I had anything to do with your divorce, you're wrong. I was still married to Sha're there. The Tok'ra helped us save her. Before ending up here, we gated from Abydos." He looked down at the paper and sighed.

"Oh! Was Sha're alive in any other world?"

"Yes," Daniel said. "There was a team that only came with Mitchell and three other guys. I was still living in Abydos with Sha're. I was not part of the SGC."

"Where was I?"

"You were in Washington D.C., married to Jack."

"So I was married to the General in two worlds and it worked on the second."

"Yes," Daniel said seriously.

Sam repressed a little laugh of joy because she thought Daniel was not in the mood. "What else? You said I was married five times; who are the other four husbands?"

Daniel looked at his paper and started, "In the first team, you had just rejoined SG-1 after your honeymoon, with Pete." Sam looked very surprised. "Mitchell was about to marry, too, to Dr. Lam. And, as you know, your father was still alive there."

"And you?"

"I was married, too."

"Really? To whom?"

"Sarah Gardner," he replied.

It bothered her. She couldn't explain why, but it bothered her. "Are you still in contact with her?"

"You mean, in this reality or in-"

"In ours."

"Yes, of course. I check up on her as much as I can. She's doing better. She's actually working with us, from England."

"I didn't know."

"Not many people do."

Sam tried to dismiss the weird feeling that the news had given to her. "What else about you? Were you with someone else?"

Daniel hesitated again. He was not sure if he wanted to go there. Finally he said, "There was a team without me. There was a guy we don't know replacing me, but they said Vala was usually in my place. She was on another mission this week. Kawalski and Elliot were alive there. Jack was still the head of the SGC. They said I was 'in a relationship' and that I had requested a desk job, but they wouldn't say why, or with whom I was involved, so I don't have a clue."

"Was I on that team?"

"Yes."

"So, if it had been me, we couldn't have been on the same team."

"Could be." They both thought for a minute about all the possibilities.

"So, I'm still missing three husbands. Teal'c said you were the one in Janet's world, the one were I was on maternity leave," she laughed softly and then felt bad about it. She was thinking that he didn't enjoy the idea of her mocking their possible union in another universe.

"Yes."

"So?'

He sighed tiredly. "You were married to me."

"Three times?" she said with strong disbelief in her voice.

"Yep."

"Wow."

"What's so surprising?" He stood up and started putting books on the shelves again.

She stood up, too, and walked toward him. "I don't mean anything wrong, Daniel. It's just that we have never thought of each other that way-" she noticed that he was still evading her. "Have you?"

"Let's finish this, Sam. It's very late and I want to go home." His demeanor had changed completely. He walked back to his desk, where he had left the chart and read. "There was a Sam with glasses, you must have noticed her." Sam nodded. "I was not in her team because we had been married for six years and we already had two children. She was pregnant again."

"So that's why she was always eating something…" Sam said.

Daniel looked at her without understanding. Then, he continued, "And there was another team with Mitchell and you plus two other guys. I was at the SGC on desk duty, too. There you go." He left the chart on the desk and started putting papers in a folder.

"Daniel, can we talk about this?"

"About what?"

"About you and me and-"

"I don't think there's anything to talk about. You said it yourself; it's just something funny. Just trivia of the universe."

"I'm serious. I think you saw it differently."

"Even if I did, this is not the place, in front of all the SGC cameras, or the time to do it."

"The cameras don't include sound, so nobody would know what we're talking about. And I'd prefer to solve this before we leave."

"There's nothing to solve."

"Daniel, look at me." She said with resolve. She stood in front of him and held his arms. "Have you ever considered that possibility? That you and I could be more than we are? More than best friends?"

Daniel closed his eyes for a second, then looked at her. "Why is it so hard to imagine for you?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Unexpected Effect **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. The ripple effect brought a few more consequences than first thought.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Unexpected Effect**

**Chapter 3**

"It's not that, Daniel."

"I know I'm not the kind of guy you've always liked, but I'm not that bad. I may not be as skilled as Jack in combat, but I've come a long way since you met me. I don't need you to protect me like a little brother."

Sam was stunned. Daniel separated from her and went back to putting papers in a folder. "Daniel, I don't see you like a little brother. I know how much you've changed and sometimes I feel guilty that we've taken away the innocence you had when I met you." Daniel made a gesture of understanding with his head, but kept working on his desk. "You're a very special man, very passionate, so bright, and you're also very handsome. You don't see how many women would give anything for you to pay attention to them, in this base alone?"

"Many women, but not you," he said with a little sarcasm.

Sam was still bewildered until she finally understood. She approached him again and made him face her. "Daniel, please. Do you like me? Do you… love me?"

He lowered his head and sighed deeply. He walked away from her one more time. He stood in front of a shelf and started playing with a book. "So what if I did? You don't need to know. You've never noticed before and I'd have never told you-"

"Why not?" Sam wanted to know.

"What for? To make you feel uncomfortable when you were with me? All these years of friendship that we've shared would have been ruined. I've enjoyed every minute with you, Sam, and no matter whom you ever marry, we'd always be friends, but if you put my feelings in the middle, they would separate us, and I don't know if I can live with that."

Sam sat down. This was too much. She was starting to feel like the General. Maybe it was too much 'touchy feely' conversation for a day. "Daniel, I would never let us drift apart. I don't think I could live with that either. You're too important for me. What I'm going to talk to you about in the morning is usually the first thought I have after I wake up." She paused. "How long?" He didn't answer. "Come on, Daniel, how long have you felt that way?"

Daniel turned around and sat on the floor against the shelf, still playing with the book. "I don't really know. It has changed through the years. Probably, since the day I met you on Abydos."

Sam was even more shocked than before. She got up and sat on the floor in front of Daniel. "Abydos? But you were married."

"I know, but- How can I explain this to you? You see, Sha're was an extraordinary woman, smart and brave, and very intuitive. All the time I lived in Abydos I felt loved, I felt that I belonged there, I enjoyed every second, but there was nobody to share the wonders of the discoveries I could make. And that's who I am. I studied Archeology because I wanted to feel the rush of the discovery, the thrill of the search." Sam could see the old Daniel, actually the very young Daniel she had met on her first trip through the gate, in his eyes. "All these things that we use everyday here were foreign there. I couldn't talk about planetary shift with my people when even the concept of a ballpoint pen was alien to them. When you and I talked in the cartouche room, I was talking to an equal, to someone who understood what I was saying and could even take it further. I felt this burst of energy, this sensation that I was alive, in a different way than I had felt with Sha're."

"Not so much of an equal, you were far ahead of me. I admired you so much, long before I got there and talked to you, that I would have done anything to be on that mission," Sam said with a smile.

Daniel smiled a little, but got serious almost immediately. "Then, all those horrible things happened," he sighed, "and I ended up here, lost and confused. I don't know what I would have done without Jack's help. I had to learn to live here again, without Sha're, not really belonging anywhere." Sam got a little closer and held his hand. "And then, very slowly, I started discovering what I felt for you. It was very different than what I felt for Sha're. It was not really physical, it was like this need to be close to you, to share with you what I thought, to see you every morning when I came to work, and to hold your hand every time you needed it"

"That sounds like what we have, like friendship."

"No. I knew it was more than that because every time I thought of you, I felt guilty about it. I felt I was betraying Sha're."

"You didn't. It was to be expected, Daniel. You were suffering and you needed someone to be with you. I always felt that you were so alone, but I thought that the General was helping you get through it."

"He was, but you know Jack, he cannot deal with anything too emotional," he smiled, then went back to his sad tone. "In any case, by then I started noticing that you had an inclination toward Jack, and I decided it was best for everybody if I never said anything. I actually never talked about it with anyone until after Shau'nac's death. I thought Teal'c would understand being in love with two women at the same time. He had been through something similar."

"So Teal'c knew. That's why he- Wait, that was after Sha're's death. If you still felt that way, why didn't you tell me then? And I don't know where you got that about me having a preference for the General."

"Sam, I may have hidden my feelings, but I was not in denial like you. Don't tell me it's not true. I bet you wouldn't have thought it was funny if Janet had said her Sam was expecting Jack's child."


	4. Chapter 4

**Unexpected Effect **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. The ripple effect brought a few more consequences than first thought.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Unexpected Effect**

**Chapter 4**

Sam sighed. "Okay, maybe. It's just that it never went anywhere. Maybe if you had told me, we could have done-"

"What? You would have settled for the consolation price? No, Sam. I wouldn't have let you. You will have to sort your feelings for Jack someday. Before that, I don't think you'll ever be ready for anything else. I think that was why it didn't work with Pete." Sam lowered her head and got lost thinking about it. Daniel started getting up. "It's late, Sam."

"No! Wait! Just a little longer." She stretched out her hand and made him sit down again. "You never thought it could work between us?"

"After Sha're died, I felt even guiltier. The idea of me having a chance to be happy with you- I thought I should try something different." He took a few seconds, as if trying to remember. "You know, Ke'ra reminded me of you, so bright, so full of life-"

"Linea?"

"She wasn't Linea, not yet. I don't know what happened afterwards in her life that corrupted her spirit in such a way, but she was not Linea then. She truly wanted to help her people. You saw it; when she remembered, she couldn't live with it."

Sam nodded slowly. She knew that he was probably right. Leave it to Daniel to see the good in the _Destroyer of Worlds_. "Did you feel that way when you faced the Replicator Carter?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you ask yourself how I ended up killing you? What drove me to conquer the universe?"

"No, Sam, that was not you. That was in the nature of the replicator. It may have taken your shape and known your thoughts, but its nature was the same as all the replicators."

"We've never really talked about this."

"You don't have to say anything."

"How about 'I'm sorry' or that I wish she wouldn't have hurt you?'

"You had nothing to do with it, but thank you."

Sam smiled a little and then looked straight at him. "You got into her mind, right?"

"Yep. I needed to find something that could help me defeat her. She ended that very fast."

"You still defeated her."

"She killed me, Sam."

Sam shivered at the thought. "Those seconds you stole from her, when you paralyzed all the replicators, that was all we needed to finish the job. We wouldn't have made it without you." Daniel thanked her with a gesture. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about. When you got into her mind, you got into mine. What did you see?"

"I didn't stop to analyze your thoughts, Sam. I felt I was invading something very private. I tried to run through it."

"But you saw something," she guessed.

"Confusion," he finally admitted.

"Yep, that sounds about right." Sam said almost in a whisper.

"I wish I could help you. This conversation is only going to make things worse."

"No, no. I think we needed a little bit of this." She smiled at him and he lowered his gaze as he smiled back.

"You know, sometimes I thought you would discover me, like when Cassie got here and was sick. I couldn't let you go through that on your own." Sam reached out and squeezed his hand. "Or when Jolinar got you. I just couldn't go to see you that time. It terrified me to lose both the women I loved to the same evil." Sam's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Other times I thought I could have some hope."

"When?" Sam asked, because she was starting to think that she had seen something and she had been in denial of this, too.

"When I came back from Oannes, or when Ma'chello took my body, or when you felt my presence after the incident with the crystal skull. I thought we had a connection. The worst was when I was dying, after Kelowna, and you said 'I don't know why we wait to tell people how we really feel.' What did you mean, Sam?" He didn't give her time to answer. "For a second I thought you loved me, too, and that if had done anything about it, we could have been happy at least for a little while."

"But you left anyway."

"What did you want me to do, Sam? You knew Jacob couldn't really cure me. I would have been a very sick, disabled man, for the rest of my life."

"I thought I would resign my commission and take care of you," Sam said, again with tears in her eyes.

Daniel seemed stunned. "Did you?" He looked straight at her and asked, "Then, why didn't you resign it to be with Jack?"

"He never asked me and I thought it wouldn't be fair if he did."

"And would it have been fair to take care of a sick man?"

"I didn't even think about that," Sam said honestly.

They both sat in silence for a little while, reflecting on what they had just said. Then Daniel asked, "Ah, Sam, what have we done with our lives? Why don't you forget all about this? Go home. Have some rest. Enjoy your vacation. When we come back, we'll try to keep everything as before."

"Daniel, why didn't you say anything when you came back from ascension?" she tried one more time.

"You said we were just very good friends."

"Oh." So many feelings and memories almost made her dizzy. She kept quiet for a minute. Daniel took the chance to get up and gather his paperwork to get ready to leave. Sam slowly stood up and held herself against the bookshelves. "Daniel." He put his documents on a chair near the door and looked at her. "You said what you felt was not physical in the beginning." He nodded. "That changed, right? You do have… other feelings for me, eh?" Daniel just lowered his eyes and didn't answer. "Please, Daniel, come talk to me. Please. I need you to tell me, I need you to-" She lost the words and waited for him to approach. He got close very slowly.

"What do you need, Sam?" he asked in a defeated voice.

"Please, I need to know, only once, I won't ask you again." They were looking at each other's eyes. "Kiss me, please. Just this time."

He hesitated. He had wanted so many times to kiss her, to hold her, to feel her so close to him… But if she didn't love him that way, what for? To know better what he was missing? Her eyes were begging him and he couldn't resist. First he thought of giving her a brief kiss, something that could be easily forgotten, but, as soon as he held her face in his hands and her arms encircled him, he couldn't stop himself and he kissed her with all the love and the passion he had been hiding for almost ten years. She answered without vacillation; she wanted to experience it and to use it to probe her feelings. When they came apart at last, Daniel hugged her, holding her head against his shoulder. Then he kissed her on the forehead, let her go, hastily picked up his things, and left the room.

Sam slid against the shelves back onto the floor and remained seated there for a long time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Unexpected Effect **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. The ripple effect brought a few more consequences than first thought.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Unexpected Effect**

**Chapter 5**

On Saturday morning, for the first time in a long time, Daniel didn't feel like getting up. For years and years there had always been a compelling reason to get over his sadness and work to achieve a goal. To get up, after his parents death, to go to school and get good grades in order to get a scholarship to study Archeology and make them proud. To get up, after his grandfather refused to take care of him, to be a good kid and stay in a foster home instead of being sent to an orphanage. To get up to finish his studies. To get up to find a job. To get up to find proof of his theories and stop being laughed at by his peers.

Then it had become even harder. To get up to find Sha're. To fight the Goa'uld. To fight the Ori. To save Earth. To save the Universe.

When had his life become this endless battle? When had he signed at the bottom of a page abdicating his happiness in favor of a greater cause? If he had caught a break in Abydos, it hadn't been for long. Now he was utterly tired and outright hopeless.

He stayed in bed most of the day, trying in vain to sleep. When the sun went down, he finally got up in search of an aspirin and something to eat. He took a long shower, long mostly because once he got under the water he couldn't find the will to step out. He tried watching TV, but he couldn't focus enough on a program to be worth keeping trying. A book didn't help either. He ended up sitting in his den, in the dark, drinking a soda and eating chocolate covered pecans, simply because he didn't have to cook them. He thought of his past again, as he had all day, and kept carefully avoiding thinking of Sam. That was too raw a pain, too new to get near. Every time his thoughts drifted to her, the fear that he had ruined the only link he had to her, their friendship, paralyzed him. Even if she still agreed to work with him, if she was not his friend, the most important relationship of his life would be broken.

Near 10:00 at night, his doorbell rang insistently. His first thought went to Jack. He had always had an uncanny ability to sense when Daniel was not doing well. But Jack was in D.C. He thought that it probably would be Mitchell. He had purposely turned his cell phone off and his telephone was off the hook. If there was an emergency at the SGC, Cam would be furious. He tied the knot on his robe and on his way to the door he managed to put on the pair of white cotton socks he had found in his pockets.

He opened the door and to his surprise he found Sam standing in front of him. She was wearing an old pair of jeans and a sweater and, logically if he considered that it was snowing outside, she was shivering slightly. She was not even wearing her ever present lipstick and her eyes looked swollen. He was so stunned that he remained there, holding the door open, looking at her.

"Can I come in, Daniel? It's cold out here," she said trying to smile.

He immediately moved out of the way and let her in. He guided her to the den and, as she sat on the sofa, he lighted the fireplace. She was still shivering and he managed to say his first words to her, "I'll get you something warm." He came back a few minutes later with a cup of hot chocolate and a couple of throws. He put the chocolate in her hands and carefully lifted her feet onto the sofa and covered her with the throws as she reclined against the pillows.

He sat in an armchair and waited while she drank her chocolate. He had done things like this for Sam so many times in the last ten years, that they came automatically to him, but today they included the fear of crossing some invisible boundary or stepping over some line that would end up making Sam uncomfortable.

This was new to him. For some reason beyond his comprehension, women had always reached out to him. He had never had the need to actively try and charm a woman; they had usually come to him willingly, even when he was not attracted to them. His hardest times had been trying to make some of them understand his lack of interest without hurting their feelings. Now Sam was going to explain to him why she didn't feel the same way as he did, why she couldn't love him. He knew and understood most of her reasons and he frankly didn't need her putting them into words. Perhaps _she_ needed to do it and that was enough motivation for him to endure it.

"You have made me think a lot, Daniel," she suddenly said in a surprisingly jovial tone and with a small smile, as she put the empty cup on the table, "about things I didn't want to get into, to tell you the truth."

Daniel looked at his bare legs sticking from under his robe and felt very awkward. He just said, "I'm very sorry, Sam."

Sam noticed his look and picked up one of the throws he had used to cover her and threw it playfully at him. "Let's share." Then she got serious and added. "Don't be sorry. I should have done it a long time ago, but I'm not good with feelings. I've never been. I suppose that after I lost my mom I had to learn to deal my dad's way," she smiled, "and you knew him." Daniel nodded and tried a small smile. "Anyway, I discovered many things, some painful," she fidgeted with the edge of the throw, "some very surprising, and some completely unexpected. I don't know. I was not ready for some of them, but there's nothing I can do now, eh?" She forced a smile and Daniel felt deeply sorry for what he had caused.

"You don't need to tell me, Sam."

"Well, you're my best friend. If I don't tell you," she smiled again and made a gesture to express her dilemma.

"All right. I'm listening, Sam."


	6. Chapter 6

**Unexpected Effect **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. The ripple effect brought a few more consequences than first thought.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Unexpected Effect**

**Chapter 6**

She took a little time, still playing with the throw. "The first thing that hit me," she started, "was the matter of my commission." Daniel's expression showed he didn't understand. "I had never thought about it in an organized way, compared situations… You'll think I'm weird, but I tried some kind of 'scientific approach' to this. I made a chart, like you did for the teams, but just about my life, the decisions I've made, the people they involved, the reasons- It's complicated, I know. I just needed to see it in black and white."

"If it helped you, Sam, it can't be wrong."

"Yeah, it helped. So, about my commission- Pete wanted me to get a desk job, to have a family, and I couldn't. One of the reasons why I left him was that I was not ready for that. I think that what we do every day is too important to leave now. The gate is more important than him."

"Okay, I can understand that," Daniel said.

"And when you asked me why I didn't do it to be with the General, I had the same answer. My job, my career in the military were more important than what I could have with him."

"That's difficult to understand for me, Sam."

"I know, but for me it's very clear now. You said I'd have to sort out my feelings for General O'Neill some day and I've tried." She looked at him and then at her hands so that she wouldn't see his eyes on her as she said, "You're right. I like him. I've fantasized about being with him." Daniel looked down and smiled, and for a second Sam feared he'd seen too much in her mind. "We talked about what happened in the Prometheus, when I was stranded there, do you remember?"

"Yes, when you had those hallucinations that looked like us."

"Yeah, more or less. Well, I told you Jack," she forced herself to say his name, "was there to give me a pep talk."

"I remember."

"Teal'c warned me of the dangers and you gave me ideas to fix the problem," Daniel smiled, "but my dad and Jack talked to me about my life, too."

"You didn't tell me that before."

"I haven't told anyone."

"Okay," he said with a look that encouraged her to continue.

"I asked him if quitting the Air Force would make any difference or if it was an excuse."

"You asked Jack that?"

"Well, I suppose I was asking myself. In any case, he said he'd never ask me to quit –which is fine with me; I told you I thought it'd be unfair to ask– and I wanted to know if it was because he had no feelings for me."

"Maybe that's what you've been afraid all this time," Daniel said.

"Yes, that's true, but he said that maybe _he_ wasn't the problem. He said _he_ was a safe bet. At any time, all these years I could have put him before my career, I could have, at least, proposed it in real life to see what happened, but I didn't. It wasn't pressing enough to take the risk; do you understand?" He nodded, then he looked like he had thought of something and was about to say it, when she added, "You remembered, eh?" She smiled. "What I told you yesterday, that I would have left everything to take care of you after Kelowna?" He nodded again. "It's true, I would have. I had no doubts. When dad said he was not sure if he could cure you completely, I just thought I was going to take care of you. I thought I would have to make plans according to what he could achieve, but I was certain I'd have to resign from the Air Force to dedicate time to you. I would have done it, Daniel. I meant it."

"Why?" Daniel asked with his eyes full of tears.

"Because you're more important than any job or career I could ever have. Don't you see?" She smiled again.

"Thank you."

"Don't. I can't help it. I wish I had realized before."

"But that doesn't change anything, Sam."

"I know, I know, but it was a big step." She smiled one more time and continued. "In the Prometheus I realized something else. I told Jack that as long as I thought about him and set my sights on what seemed unattainable, there was no chance of being hurt by someone else."

"But through the years you opened yourself to other possibilities, like Narim or Martouf. Didn't you go out to dinner with Joe Faxon?"

"You're right. And every time I tried, I got hurt."

"That was not your fault, Sam, or their fault in any case. It's part of the job we have, of the things we deal with every day. If Jack had died on one of our missions, it would have been the same."

"But just pining for him made it different than if I really had a relationship."

"I get it, Sam. What I still don't understand is what changed that allowed you to try with Pete."

"My dad, in my head at least. In the Prometheus he told me that I was not happy, that I was content, satisfied, in control. He said I was missing something vital in my life and that unfortunately I had no idea what it was. But I knew. What _he _had with my mother, I've never had. I'm alone. He said she gave meaning and balance to his life. I wanted that, I wanted to get rid of this loneliness, of the coming home to an empty house. I think you understand that better than anyone." Daniel softly agreed. "My dad said it was time to let go of the things that prevented me from finding happiness and, before he died, he said he just wanted me to be happy. It just didn't work with Pete and I know now that it wouldn't work with Jack either. It's not the rules and regulations that stopped me."

"What's the problem then?" Sam smiled shyly and seemed having trouble continuing. "Sam?"

"Have you thought that I'd have to leave you to go with any of them?"

"Well, only if you moved to D.C. While Jack was here that was not a problem. Pete bought a house here, didn't he?"

"What about all the times you and I get together after work, when we go to the cinema or we stay at each other's homes and have dinner or watch movies, or just talk?"

"Well, probably that would have to stop, but you'd have your husband to share all those things with you."

"I don't want to do them with anyone else. I like to be with _you_. I missed you so much while I was in Nevada."


	7. Chapter 7

**Unexpected Effect **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. The ripple effect brought a few more consequences than first thought.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Unexpected Effect**

**Chapter 7**

Daniel didn't reply. He was motionless with the intense expression he had in times of crisis.

Sam got up from the sofa and walked toward Daniel; she sat on the carpet by his armchair and grabbed his hands. "I'm not saying I'm madly in love with you, Daniel." He chuckled softly. "I'm saying that my feelings for you go beyond that and that nothing I've ever felt compares to this." He just stared at her hand on his. "I don't want to be away from you. I know what you feel for me it's different, but I'm pretty certain that it's as deep." He nodded emphatically. "And I've been wondering why I had never seen you as a man, as a male, before." She laughed softly. "I mean- You know what I mean. It's not that the- that _Jack_ is blatantly more masculine than you or that, I don't know, Narim or Martouf or Pete were more handsome. It's that I've been avoiding looking at you that way for so long… I put you off-limits because I knew you were married when I met you and then I just didn't want to change what we had."

"I understand."

"But I want you to give me a chance. To see if it could work."

Daniel looked at her with surprise. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. I want to see what comes naturally between us, now that we're aware of all this. That kiss in the office rocked many of my long-standing beliefs. It also scared the hell out of me."

"Why?"

"I didn't think you could make me feel that way. It took me by surprise. I thought it would be harmless, just a mechanical exercise, like riding a bike." Daniel's expression almost looked hurt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, Daniel." He shook his head, dismissing the offense. "When I asked you, I was trying to prove to myself that I was right, that there was nothing between us, that the possibility of going beyond friendship or getting into something physical was delirious."

"Okay… What happened then?"

Sam lowered her head and covered her face with her hands for a second. She felt like she was confessing a sin to the priest. "I didn't want it to end."

"I didn't either, but no surprise there," Daniel said.

"It was like what I had always thought I would feel with Jack. Actually, no, not like that. It was more. You had your eyes closed and I kept looking at you and the fact that it was _you_, right there with me, made it almost surreal. It felt like I was dreaming until my body started answering to yours and-"

"It did?"

Sam sighed. "If we hadn't been at the SGC, I wouldn't have let you stop."

Daniel closed his eyes and reclined against the back of the armchair. Too much had changed too quickly and he was afraid of saying or doing something that could scare Sam. He thought he should feel happy; this was a positive change in his relationship with Sam, but he felt that perhaps he had pushed her too hard and that going so fast could end in disaster.

"Daniel? Are you all right?"

He snapped off his thoughts and opened his eyes. "Yeah, just thinking."

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

"No! Why?"

"Because now I can't avoid seeing you this way."

He suddenly felt very vulnerable and regretted badly not having made the effort to get dressed under his robe. "I think this is going too fast for your own good. Yesterday you couldn't see me as a 'male' and today you can't avoid it?"

"Shouldn't that make you happy?"

"I don't know. I don't want to make a mistake that could separate us forever."

"You and I, Daniel, we've done everything else together. We've dated without really dating for years. With how many other women have you gone to a concert, a movie, a restaurant, in the last ten years? If I leave out the times when we did things as a team, I only have Pete and you left. Not even Teal'c or Jack, just you. The only man with whom I've spent nights alone in the same house when not in a mission, besides Pete, is you. You're the only one I've allowed to see me cooking, or worse, baking, and moreover, I've let you try the results of those endeavors," she smiled. "Whenever I've needed someone to talk to or someone with whom to discuss a theory, a problem, anything, I've always gone to you." He agreed with a look. "This is the only thing we haven't tried together. I'm not asking you to make love to me tonight. I just want to have the chance of exploring these new feelings, like sitting by your side and being aware that our legs are touching."

"Ah, Sam. I've spent too many years taking that out of the equation, trying _not_ to be aware of things like that, trying not to put anything sexual in it when I held your hand or I hugged you after a rough day."

"So let's learn together."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sam spent the night in Daniel's house, but, as they had agreed, they didn't change the nature of their relationship. Not too much, at least. Daniel woke up in the morning still on top of the covers on his bed and with Sam's head resting on his chest. She even had her boots still on. He tried to define what had awakened him. When the doorbell rang again, he remembered. This time it surely was Mitchell. He should have hung up his phone at least. He carefully laid Sam's head on the pillow and went to open the door.

Jack's face looked back at him as he stood in front of him without moving like he had done the night before. He pulled himself out of his amazement and let him in.

"Jack! What brings you here on a Sunday morning at 8:00 o'clock?"

"Short trip. Flew in yesterday. You weren't answering the phone; I imagined you were out. Have to go back to D.C. soon, so I decided to come see you."

Daniel walked with him to the kitchen to start some coffee, when Sam's voice came from upstairs.

"Daniel, there are no towels in this bathroom."

There was an awkward moment before Daniel started walking towards the staircase and Jack followed him.

"Carter?" Jack simply asked.

"Yes, it's Sam," Daniel said as he got some towels from the linen closet in the hallway. "And before you start having ideas, no, we haven't been having a secret relationship and, no, we haven't had sex." He said the last few words right after he knocked softly on the door of the bathroom and Sam's hand opened it and grabbed the towels.

"Not yet," she cheerfully said as she got out of the bathroom drying her face with one of the towels. When she lowered it, she saw Jack standing right in front of her. "Oh, hi, sir," she said as she blushed deeply.

"Carter," he replied with a nod of his head.

"Anyway, I need to go home. Haven't really been there for a long while," Sam said as naturally as possible. "I'll call you later," she said giving the towel back to Daniel. She leaned and kissed him softly on the cheek and then tapped Jack on his arm. "Good to see you, sir."

She was gone in a second. Daniel left the towel on the bed and started walking down the stairs followed by Jack.

"Care to explain?" Jack said as he sat at the kitchen table.


	8. Chapter 8

**Unexpected Effect **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. The ripple effect brought a few more consequences than first thought.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Unexpected Effect**

**Chapter 8**

Daniel sat in front of Jack and sighed. "We've been thinking about our relationship. We've been best friends for so long… What happened because of the ripple effect made us think," he added. "You know better than I do. The other times, when you found out about those Sams, married or in love with you, I know it affected you."

"Maybe."

"We've never talked about this, Jack."

"No."

"I always thought you'd do something about it." Jack didn't answer and Daniel sighed again. "All these years I've kept myself away from her because of you." Jack made a gesture of surprise, of lack of understanding. "It was easy to see that you two had this connection going on. I thought you'd do something about it."

"**_We _**had a connection? I'd say **_Sam_** **_and_** **_you_** had one."

"It's different. We understand each other, we can think together. There was no sexual tension between us, but it was there with you."

"And now?"

"Don't think it has changed too much. We've just talked about it. I think the fact that you didn't make any attempts to get together with her once the regulations didn't stop you anymore, has had some effect on it."

"So, **_I_** was supposed to do something? It's **_my_** fault?"

"I don't know, Jack. That's between you and Sam. She just found out how I felt about her and it made her react, but I don't want her to settle for me because she can't have you. Before Sam and I go any further, you two will have to sit down and talk about yourselves. It won't hurt me if you end up together, Jack. I've always wanted her to have what she wants to be happy and if that means that she has to be with you, I'll take it."

"Has she told you anything about me?"

"Some, but you have to talk to her."

Jack sat back on his chair and closed his eyes. He said, "You know, I've never pictured Carter with you. I always thought she liked the tough guys, like Hansen or Pete-"

"Or you."

Jack opened his eyes and sat straight again, looking at Daniel, "Yeah, or me. But, now that I think about it, she has been also interested in another kind of guy," it looked as if he was remembering something, "and up there, in your room, before she went tomato shade, she sounded happy."

"Jack, she said like two words, how could you know?"

"I felt it, Daniel. I know every one of you so well, even Teal'c. I know she was happy, relaxed. At ease. It's been a long time since I've seen her like that."

"Jack, it was a second!"

"I don't care. I know these things, the same way I know **_you _**aren't happy. There's something there that's keeping you from enjoying this."

"Jack-"

"And I know what it is. You know what, it's time I have a talk with my former second in command. You're right, it's way past time." He got up with a smile and started walking toward the front door.

"Jack!" Daniel tried in vain to stop him and make him talk to him.

Jack got to the door, opened it and went out. He turned around and started closing it in front of a stunned Daniel. "Danny-boy," Jack said in a farewell tone and with a big grin. "See you later, alligator," he finally smiled and closed the door.

Daniel walked back to the kitchen, turned off the coffee machine, and went back to his bedroom. He threw himself on the bed and tried to go to sleep.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Daniel woke up feeling warm and rested. The headache was gone. He looked at the clock on his nightstand and discovered that it was 11:35 at night. He closed his eyes again and tried to remember. He had taken a couple of pills to finally get to sleep. He had felt overwhelmed by the dread of impending disaster. He had tried to imagine what Jack had done or how Sam had reacted and all the results had depressed him even further.

He looked again at the clock, the only lit thing in the dark room. He knew he was lying face down across the bed, just as he had positioned himself right after swallowing the pills. What he didn't remember was having wrapped a blanket around himself. Perhaps he'd been already sleepy because of the medicine. He decided to stretch a little and discovered that the weight on his back was not only a blanket. Someone was lying right behind him, very close to him. He sat up on the bed in one movement and turned on the night lamp. Sam, still wrapped in the rest of the blanket, opened her eyes sleepily.

"Hey," she said.

"Sam?"

"Are you feeling better?"

"What do you mean?"

"The General said you were not feeling well. We came to see you and when you didn't open the door, he used the key you had given him." She sat up and wrapped the blanket more tightly around herself.

"And?"

"You were sleeping and we didn't want to wake you up, so I stayed to check up on you. He had to fly back to D.C."

"And you were on my bed because…" he tried to ask, feeling again that he definitely had to get dressed and stop going around the house in only his robe.

"It was getting cold and late, and I don't know how to control the temperature in the house, so I thought- I'm sorry if it bothered you."

Daniel visibly relaxed and said, "No, no problem. Thank you for staying. You shouldn't have done it. We only have one more day to relax and take a break." He got up and asked, "What can I do for you? Are you hungry? Do you want to stay there? You should get more comfortable."

"I'm fine. I just wanted to stay here until we had a chance to talk."

There it was, what he dreaded the most. Nevertheless, he nodded and sat down in the armchair by the side of the bed.

Sam looked down and started talking. "The General came to see me after he left you. He said he was going to go by the base and check up on Teal'c, too. He wanted to know how we were all doing. I think he was curious because he found me here with you," she added as if revealing a secret. Daniel started to worry that Jack hadn't really **_talked_** to her. "We ended up talking about us, I mean he and I- I'm sorry, Daniel, this must be hurtful."

"It's okay," he said in a very low voice.

"We talked about all these years and the feelings we've had for each other… It was surprising. I thought he wasn't capable of opening himself like that." Daniel swallowed hard; his worst fears were coming true. "He was very frank and honest and I felt I owed him as much."


	9. Chapter 9

**Unexpected Effect **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. The ripple effect brought a few more consequences than first thought.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Unexpected Effect**

**Chapter 9**

"That's very good, Sam. You should have done it a long time ago. Now you've got a better chance to be happy." He was being honest; he had his doubts about how his two friends could carry a relationship, but he wanted her to be happy above anything else. Though it hurt deeply, he would get over it, as he had done over so many other pains before.

"I know, you're right," she said emphatically. Then, lowering her voice she added, "Of course, we talked about you, too, you know."

"Okay," he managed to say.

"And what you mean for all of us." Daniel tried a smile. "He cares very much about you. I think, in a way, you're what he would have wanted Charlie to be."

"Me? No. I'm sure he would have wanted him in the Air Force or-"

"Not the profession, the person, the kind of man you are. He admires you."

Daniel lowered his head, sighed, and then smiled. "He once tried to tell me something like that; maybe," he smiled again.

"So," Sam said and let her legs hang on the side of the bed as she sat right in front of him, "you were right. We had to have that conversation and face all those issues we had never addressed. I feel better now and it's time to move on." She leaned a little towards him and held his hand. "Do you still want to try?"

Daniel had to close his eyes. He was utterly confused. "Excuse me?"

"Do you still want to try and see if we could be together or have you changed your mind?"

"Changed my mind? But I thought Jack and you- What do you mean?"

"Daniel, you didn't think the general and I… Did you?"

"Well, yeah," he said as if there was no other logical conclusion. "You two have been in love with each other for so long and-"

"Daniel, listen. I love the General, that's true, and I love Teal'c, too, but, I told you yesterday, it's different from what I feel for you. I don't know why I hadn't seen it before, but there's no going back now. I can't lie to myself and say that I could be happy with him because I find him attractive and he's a great soldier. I need more than that to be happy and, as long as I've had you near me, I've been happy, all these years. My dad wanted me to have someone to come home to, someone with whom to share my life, and he didn't see that I already have someone and that I've shared everything in my life with you for the past ten years, almost right from the very beginning. Even more, I've come home **_to you_** all this time. There's no point for me in doing any of what we do if you're not here. That whole year you were gone, I couldn't even find my place in the SGC. I felt lost. The last time, after Replicarter, or whatever you call her, took you, Jack thought that I wanted him to acknowledge that something had happened to you because I wanted closure. What I wanted was for him to tell me that I was wrong, that you were alive and that you were coming home. When we heard your voice from his office, I froze. I couldn't move. If I could have, I would have run to you and hugged you tightly until I had no doubt you were back with us."

"Maybe it's better that you couldn't," he smiled remembering the embarrassing moment. "Not my best entrance."

"I couldn't have cared less how you looked. The only thing that mattered was that you were back."

"Nobody moved. Everybody stayed sitting at the table. I thought it was the military training or something like that."

"You didn't think we didn't care, did you, Daniel?"

"It just felt strange. I should have been used to it after all these years."

"Oh, Daniel, I'm so sorry. I should have learned by now."

"It's okay."

"I told you once that you've taught me what really matters, but I still let my training prevail. This time, if the military will keep me from you, I'll ditch them," she smiled.

"Nice way to try to ingratiate yourself with a linguist," he joked.

Sam laughed a little and then got serious again. "I mean it, Daniel, let me try."

He took a few seconds to breath deeply and then said, "All right, but, remember, I don't want to rush you into anything."

Sam nodded and he caught her hand, stood up and started walking with her toward the door of the room. He wanted to go to more neutral territory, maybe find something to eat. He had dreamt so many times of making love to her in that room that having her there, so close, made it very hard to think of anything else.

When they were almost by the door, Sam pulled his hand from behind and stopped him. "I do," she said with a big smile.

"Wh-what?" he stammered.

"I do want to rush things. Ten years is way too slow. We need to catch up." She let his hand go and put her arms around his waist, pulling him closer to her.

"Oh, Sam," he just said and tried to concentrate on the conjugation of some foreign verb.

"Daniel, I'm not a teenager. You don't have to protect me."

He wasn't really listening. He had closed his eyes and was trying to forget that he still only had his robe on and that it was making it all the more difficult to keep his body from reacting to Sam's proximity. He had done it before, in hundreds of occasions, when Sam only had expected the hug of a friend, and he had complied without trouble. Now, she was asking for more and, though his body wanted to oblige, his mind kept saying 'No, not yet' insistently. Sam called him back to reality.

"Daniel! Daniel, look at me. Why are you so scared? What's going on?" She softly let go of him and he turned around and left for the den. Sam followed him slowly. He sat down in an armchair and put his head between his hands.

Sam kneeled beside him. "Daniel, you have to trust me here. I've never seen you insecure about anything like this. You always follow your instincts. What is it about me that doesn't allow you to let go and try?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Unexpected Effect **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. The ripple effect brought a few more consequences than first thought.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Unexpected Effect**

**Chapter 10**

He sighed and finally looked back at her. "It's not you. It's the situation, all of us. I really don't want to hurt Jack-"

"I told you, we talked and we cleared everything between us." She felt that wasn't enough for Daniel and added, "We both admitted our mutual attraction and the flirting that it brought through the years, but we both also agreed that beyond the physical aspect of it and the way we care for each other, we had nothing in common. He told me- I don't know if it's okay to tell you," she hesitated.

"It's okay," Daniel said. "Don't tell me any more."

"No," Sam replied emphatically. "We have to talk about all of this and then move on. I don't want to start anything with something like this sitting right between us." She smiled. "Besides, it's not a state secret. We have enough of those in our lives." Daniel chuckled and Sam continued. "He told me that he thought about trying a relationship with me, but that it always scared him when he tried to imagine us together. He thought I would _'drown him in technobabble'_ and he would _'bore me to death during hockey season'_. You know, one game is fun, but- In any case, we both can see that we're not compatible. The scientist side of me takes more space in my private life than the soldier. I don't want to play war games, but I'd thoroughly enjoy going to a lecture or visiting a museum, and those are the things I always do with you."

"So, is he okay with this?"

"Yes, Daniel, he's perfectly fine. I think he worries more about how you're doing than about himself. He gave me a long lecture on how to take care of you, as if I didn't know," she smiled. "He doesn't want me to hurt you, Daniel, and I don't want that either. I just want to see if we can work this out, if we can be happy together."

Daniel raised one hand and softly caressed her cheek. "We could be very happy together, Sam, if it were only you and I, but we're not alone. We have a job that is more important than we really want to admit and many people depend on us."

"I know, I know. But if you've done it all these years, feeling the way you feel about me, and it has never interfered with your job, why couldn't I do the same? Besides, we already have heavy feelings for all the members of the team. No matter what we do, that will affect our decisions."

"What about later on, Sam?"

"What?"

"Have you thought if you'd like to have children? Would you do it? What would happen with your career then?"

"Teal'c asked me about this, too," Sam smiled.

"And?"

"I told him I'd been thinking about it, but I hadn't found the right man. Now I have, so," she smiled again.

"Are you serious?"

"I mean, if that's what you want, too."

"I do, I do, I've always wanted a big family."

"Well, I don't know if we can get big, I'm a little old for that," she said with a sad tone.

"It will be all right. But, what about our job, your career? If you get pregnant you won't be allowed to go through the gate," he said.

"Yeah, I know, but I was willing to do it for Cassie. I suppose it would be even easier to do it for our own children," she said and held his hand, "and if it's the only way to be with you, I'm willing to do it."

"It could be me," Daniel said. "I could leave SG-1 and take care of the kids."

"But I would be out, too, when I got pregnant. That wouldn't help much. It looks like I didn't mind leaving the team either in other realities." She got closer to him and added, "Listen, Jack said something. He said that he was feeling old and that he thought that any good soldier could do his job in SG-1. He believes that if he represents the bureaucracy, there's a chance that it won't be as hard for us to deal with it. He feels useful where he is now and he's happy with the way Cameron is handling the team. But he also thinks that if you left SG-1, there would be no more team. He's certain that you're the only reason Teal'c is still here and he's sure that I wouldn't have come back if it weren't for you."

"Sam, the problems we have with the Ori have brought you both back, not me, and Cameron has been the one pushing. This is his team. If it weren't for Vala, I'd be in Atlantis now."

"Maybe, but you're here and Teal'c and I are here for you. I know it's true on my side, because when Jack left the team, I stepped up and took his place, but when you decided to go to Atlantis, I got out of here and Teal'c did, too." Daniel began to protest and Sam stopped him. "Wait, we can talk about this later. Now, we've dealt with the Jack issue, the children issue, and my career. Anything else worrying you?"

"What about how we're going to tell General Landry?" Daniel asked.

"I'll take care of it if you take care of my only problem at this time," Sam said with a funny smile.

"All right. What is it? Are you hungry?" He got up and started walking toward the kitchen. "It's very late. I can cook something. Maybe we should raise the temperature in the house," he checked the thermostat in the central heating control unit and kept walking. He suddenly turned back around when he noticed that Sam wasn't following. She was sitting in the armchair he had just vacated. "Sam?"

"I have one question," she said.

"What?" he walked back towards her. "What question?"

"Can you kiss me the same way you did in the office or was that just a fluke?" she asked with a challenging tone but still smiling.


	11. Chapter 11

**Unexpected Effect **by Betty Bokor  
Sam/Daniel. The ripple effect brought a few more consequences than first thought.  
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.  
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

**Unexpected Effect**

**Chapter 11**

Daniel lowered his head slightly, closed his eyes and removed his glasses to rub them softly. For a second he felt defeated, but then he realized this was what he had been dreaming would happen one day. He had been hoping that somehow Sam would see him as a man and want him and want to be with him. Well, now she had. What was wrong with him? A little smile came to his mouth as he put the glasses back on. "I hope you don't regret asking…"

He approached Sam, helped her stand up, and took her face in his hands. Sam closed her eyes, still smiling. Daniel kissed her then and she responded, this time not out of curiosity, but out of real desire. She couldn't forget that she was kissing Daniel and that a week before she would have never thought it could feel this way. She doubted she'd ever felt that aroused by a simple kiss and tried to stop thinking to just enjoy the sensations.

Daniel broke the kiss and looked at her. She opened her eyes and smiled again. "Not bad," she said. "Care to try again? Maybe it would improve-"

"Am I trying for some prize here or are you just measuring my abilities?" he joked, too.

"Both," she replied with a mischievous expression.

"Well, in that case, I'll make my best effort." He smiled and picked her up in his arms. Sam wasn't expecting that, but she felt so comfortable in his arms, that she simply snuggled her face under his chin and let him take her back to the bedroom. She had asked for it and she was happy that she had finally broken Daniel's barriers.

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Mitchell, do you have a minute?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay. Let's go into my office."

Cameron sat behind his desk and looked at Daniel sitting in front of him. He hadn't known the archeologist for a long time, but he was deeply impressed by him. Every time he had read a report of a SG-1 mission before he joined the team, there had been something about Jackson's behavior that had left him thinking. He was certain that he admired him, but he was not sure of how to tell him. He could remember by heart paragraphs of the reports that explained how Daniel had allowed an alien to 'read' his brain in order to see if he could remember the history of his long-dead wife. Or how he had destroyed what could have been the only means to save his wife, just to rescue Teal'c. Or when he had discovered the way to rescue Sam and O'Neill from Antarctica. Or his trip to an alternate reality that ended up saving Earth. Or just the whole mess with the Enkarans.

He knew on paper he was the commander of the team, but he didn't feel he had the right to be over the heads of any of his teammates. Of course, he hid that feeling cautiously and he cheerfully adopted the 'in command persona', but he was careful to listen to the others' advice, at least most of the time.

"I need to talk to you about my personal life, Cameron," Daniel started and Mitchell was surprised that he had used his first name. He'd asked him to before, but Daniel had simply not done it.

"Yes?"

"I've been thinking about my life and I've decided that it's time to take some risks and try to improve it," Daniel explained. "I've been thinking about having a family and I've finally gathered the courage to ask the woman I love to marry me," he added with a smile.

"I suppose she said yes, right?"

"Fortunately, yes, she has agreed."

"Well, congratulations, Daniel!" He stood up and walked around his desk to shake his teammate's hand. Daniel simply smiled. Then Cam sat on the edge of his desk and commented, "If you'd told me this around the time I met you, I'd have bet you were talking about Vala."

"Vala?"

"Yes, you had this weird relationship with her that could have ended up in love." Daniel made a surprised gesture and Cam continued. "I guess I was wrong, but I had no clue you had been dating anyone. So, who's the lady?"

"Sam."

"Sam? Our Sam?'

"Yes."

"Wow. I didn't see that one coming. I didn't know you two had something going on."

"We didn't. It would have been inappropriate and it could have hurt Sam's career, but now that we both know that we share the same feelings, there's no point in waiting."

"Wow. I'm still stunned. What will happen with the team?"

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk about. You have a big part in the decision-making about that. I suppose General Landry would have the last word. Sam is going to talk to him, and I believe Jack is, too. In any case, I'd like to know what you think. If you believe one of us has to step out, I'd like to do it. I know Sam would have to leave the off-world missions when she gets pregnant, so I-"

"Pregnant? She's pregnant?"

"No, she's not pregnant. I said 'when she gets pregnant' and that means-"

"I know what you mean, I'm sorry, it's just so… Have you told anyone else?"

"Just Jack and Teal'c."

"I don't know General O'Neill very well, but I'm sure Teal'c was happy about it. I think he sees you two as his little children. He always gives me the impression that he could rip apart with his own hands anyone that hurts either of you."

"He's our friend."

"I know and I'm sure he respects both of you very much, too. I just think you two are his soft spot." Daniel smiled and Cam continued, "About the team, I don't care if you're married, living together, or just having fun; as long as you give as much as you've been giving –actually I can even deal with less; you two are awesome, especially when you're together– I won't complain at all. You can both stay until Sam needs to get a desk job or a maternity leave. Congratulations again!"

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

After Sam talked to Landry and got the same positive results as Daniel with Cam, they both met in the surface parking lot. They had asked for a week's leave to start preparing their wedding and to start their life together, the best effect they could have suffered after the last ripple effect.


End file.
